Missing Scene from The Art of Relationships
by RevSue
Summary: Is the Professor jealous of the visting psychology professor? He's not sure, but he just might be


_Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, and I make no money from this work of fiction!_

Nanny watched Professor Roger Samuelson leave, shaking his head, and a tiny smile curled her lips. Roger really needed some time to rest and think, so why was he heading back towards the Aquarius Club? Well, an hour or two of that, and he would realize his mistake. Then the light in her eyes dimmed. Would he then be back tomorrow? Oh, dear, she hadn't found herself in such a pickle for a very long time now! She knew why he had been trying to speak with her ... well, even the CHILDREN knew now since he had told Prudence outright that yes, he 'loved her'! That was not exactly news, she knew, but it certainly meant that there wasn't much hope of any of them getting to sleep any time soon! Naturally they would be worrying. She was not sure herself of the future in this case, although she was quite certain she would not be leaving the Everett's immediately! Poor Roger, he was in quite a quandary. There must be SOME way she could help him resolve many of the problems in his life, but how?

Mulling over how this whole situation had come up in the first place, Nanny had to wonder if it had been such a good idea to take the psychology class. It had sounded like such a good idea, and certainly Professor Everett had been enthusiastic. That is, he had been, until he heard which class she was taking! Certainly his initial worries had proven correct, Nanny smiled to herself, thinking back to that first night when Roger had tried to ... how was it said? ... put the moves on her!

Thank heavens for automatic sprinklers and umbrellas! He had been difficult to dissuade, though, and only because he had been dripping wet had nothing happened that night on the porch. The poor man had been so adamant about never getting sick, but once he sneezed, she had made good her escape. It had been so easy to tease Professor Everett that night, too, and really a boost to her ego to see his face when she commented on the stop at City Park with Roger, and knowing he would react when she said something about Roger having gotten off 'to a very effective start'!

Nanny smiled reminiscently, knowing perfectly well what he had been thinking, and deriving a certain satisfaction from it. She remembered the previous night on the porch when Roger again almost kissed her but Professor Everett opened the door just in the nick of time. She chuckled inwardly at the recollection of the look on HER professor's face. Well, not hers, but ...

She had known after that letter had come for her a few months ago that all of the Everetts were most concerned for her well-being ... but the way the Professor was reacting towards Roger quite frankly had her a little puzzled. Surely he wasn't JEALOUS, was he? No, that was almost the most nonsensical thinking she'd ever heard! No need to waste time contemplating such matters. What was important was trying to decide what to do about dear Roger. The poor man was inclined to be a little clueless, she concluded.

The Professor approached the front door of his darkened home quietly, tired from his evening of dancing with Maureen Peters at the Aquarius Club. Opening the door, he was startled to see all three children AND Waldo sitting on the stairs waiting for him. With dismay he heard their news, but hid his feelings from them and sent them back to bed. Unable to sleep, he puttered around a bit in his office, while the thoughts tumbled through his brain. Professor Samuelson was definitely in love with Nanny? Was she in love with him? Yes, of course he wanted the best for her, but ... but ... was Swinging Sam really the best? He knew it was not his opinion but Nanny's that mattered, still ...

As he had said to the children, they would just have to accept the fact that she had the right to make her own choices. He still believed he was right. They shouldn't deny that right to anybody, especially somebody they cared about so deeply. But he agreed with Prudence. He, too, thought that being right was supposed to make a person feel good. So why was he so upset? Muttering to himself, he remembered opening the door last night and catching them in a clinch ... well, as good as ... how embarrassed he had felt, then how, after Nanny had gone inside, Swinging Sam had exacerbated those feelings by pretending to be a teenager bringing home a beloved daughter after curfew ... as if he felt even remotely fatherly towards Nanny! Ha! And why had the other man emphasized the "old man" part? WAS he old? Did Nanny think of him that way? WHY DID HE CARE?

At last he realized that, at three in the morning, there was not much night left. He went upstairs and, before retiring, checked in on the children. They were all asleep. After closing Prudence's door carefully, he stood for a moment outside Nanny's door, telling himself he really couldn't check on her as if she were a child. Listening, he heard a soft, rhythmic, creaking noise, and pictured her tossing and turning in bed.

With an inaudible snort of self-disgust, he turned away, only to be stopped by a quiet voice from inside saying, "You may come in, Professor." How did she do it? How did she know?

Opening the door, he saw Nanny bundled in a shawl, sitting in her rocking chair by the window. The light from the streetlight reflected off her mirror onto her face, making it easy to see in the dimness, although her eyes remained dark pools. "Why are you still up, Nanny? Something bothering you?"

Silently she pointed him to the trunk at the end of her bed and he sat down with a bit of a thump across from herStammering a bit in explanation, he said, "The children told me ... I was wondering ... well, it would be nice to know exactly ..."

A gentle smile spread over Nanny's face. "Shall I tell you what happened tonight, Professor?"

"Please do," he said. "That — that is, if you don't mind."

"When I came in with the coffee tray, Roger said to me 'Phoebe, you've spoiled my former way of life for me.' Naturally I asked him what he meant, and he said that no longer did he want to carouse and dissipate."

"Carouse and dissipate?" the Professor asked blankly. He was still trying to realize that Swinging Sam was calling Nanny by her given name. No reason he SHOULDN'T, of course! After all, she wasn't in his employ!

"Oh, he tried it, Professor, then he said he had found out something about himself and ... me."

"And?"

"And he tried to tell me, but, well, you know how things can be in a busy household! There were so many interruptions, and he rescued Waldo's squeaky toy, and all the children were up ..."

"Yes. I understand he told Prudence that he ... he loved you."

"Yes." Nanny cast her eyes down and rocked for a moment. Then she cleared her throat. "He said he would have to come back another time. All those interruptions, you know. They quite put him off his game. I don't think he's used to small children or animals, Professor."

"He'll be back?" Why the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach?

"He said he'll try another time."

"Try?"

"To talk with me. To, well, to share an experience, you might say!" she added playfully, trying to make light of things.

The Professor felt a jolt of shock run through him. "Share an experience?" he echoed.

"That IS what he was teaching, is it not? The Art of Relationships?"

"Hmm. But he did say he loved you?"

"Oh yes, Professor, he definitely said that ..." her voice trailed off in a sigh.

"I see." Could he ask her what she intended to do?

"I'm afraid, Professor, that you are giving me entirely too much credit in this matter." He could see a faint smile on her face, and could definitely hear it in her voice. "If I knew what I should be doing, why would I be sitting up here thinking? If it were that easy, you may be sure that I would be sleeping soundly!"

He leaned forward and took her hands in his, smoothing his thumbs gently over the skin on the back. "I don't want to see you hurt. I ... we care about you, you know." He wasn't sure he even knew just how much he DID care! Somehow he wasn't inclined to examine his feelings too closely.

"Thank you, Professor," she said warmly and sincerely. She squeezed his hands gently, then released them, leaned back and sighed, beginning to rock again. "One could almost believe anything at this hour, couldn't one? At any rate, I DO thank you, Professor, for your concern."

"Well, naturally I am concerned, Nanny!" He could not possibly be jealous of Roger Samuelson, could he? Then why was it bothering him to think of Nanny at the Aquarius Club last night with the other man? Why had he felt so enraged last night when he had opened the door to find the two close to being wrapped in a very warm embrace ...?

"It was NOT an embrace, Professor!" Nanny stopped rocking and her voice was almost sharp. She cleared her throat and added in a softer voice, "Yes, of course, he, well, he came close, but ..."

"Nanny, how did you ...?" He had to wonder if he was beginning to speak out loud without realizing it, because she couldn't possibly be reading his mind!

"Professor," she stood up and pulled the shawl more firmly around herself. "I must say, I do remember the warning you gave me the day I arrived. That this was a motherless household?" she prompted when she saw his blank look. "You may be assured that I have no intentions of exceeding the parameters of this job ..."

"I was rather hoping to hear that perhaps you being here was becoming more than just a job," he commented quietly, standing up beside her and looking at her intently.

"Yes, well ..." her voice trailed off again and she glanced down before taking a deep breath and smiling brightly up at him again. "Professor, I do believe it's time we both went to bed."

An image of the two of them together flashed through his mind and took his breath away, but before he could even grasp after it, Nanny was at the door, holding it open for him and saying cheerfully, "Well, I daresay everything shall look different in the morning. It generally does, you know. Good night, Professor."

He mumbled goodnight and found himself on the other side of the door which she firmly closed between them. Very well, he would wait until morning. Knowing Nanny, everything would be organized by then. She'd probably even have wedding invitations planned! He sighed. Tonight and tomorrow morning promised to be fairly gloomy!


End file.
